Thewesternbalkans
The Albanian MP, Afrim Gashi, was elected the Speaker of the Assembly of North Macedonia on its constitutive session, held on May 28. Out of 116 MPs who registered for the sitting, 76 voted in favor of Gashi’s bid for the post and 6 voted against.
Gashi, who resigned as leader of the Alternativa party, a member of the VLEN coalition, was nominated for speaker of 75 MPs from VMRO-DPMNE, the VLEN coalition and the ZNAM Movement.
Gashi, in his first speech as a Speaker of the Assembly, thanked the deputies who voted for him and promised to respect the law and the constitution of the country. He also said that “the debate about the past is not the kind of discussion to be held by politicians, least so by MPs. The past is a fine topic for historians, but not for politicians. We are supposed to work for a better future and to talk about the future, not the past. Talking only about the past will not bring any benefit for our citizens. We should therefore unite around the common demands of the citizens. A European future, education reforms, protection of the family and the environment. We have common ground on many points, which is a good opportunity.”
Afrim Gashi was born on November 9, 1977 in Skopje. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tetovo in 2007, while his postgraduate studies, at the Institute of Legal, Sociological and Political Studies in Skopje – in the direction of political sciences, he completed in 2021.
Since 2014, he has also been active in politics, founding the Besa Movement. He is its initiator and for some time he also held the office of its General Secretary.
On March 9, 2019, after the separation of the Besa Movement, Gashi founded the “Alternativa” party and was elected its chairman.
He was elected deputy in the early parliamentary elections of 2016 and in the parliamentary elections of 2020.
Comment: The election of a speaker on the first day of the constitutive session of the Parliament is a firm indication that a deal on a governing coalition is close. Тhe votes with which Gashi was elected confirm preliminary analyzes and statements by some of the parties that the next government will be formed by VMRO-DPMNE, the VLEN coalition and the ZNAM Movement.
It is important to note that the VLEN coalition enjoys the strong support of the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti. During the election campaign, as well as after the appearance of the election results, the leaders of the parties participating in the VLEN coalition held several meetings with Kurti and his counselors in Pristina.
